Belle View Shopping Center Redevelopment Nomination Submitted

BELLE HAVEN, VA — Nominations submitted in the 2019-2020 South County Site-Specific Plan Amendment Process include a redevelopment proposal for the Belle View Shopping Center. That proposal calls for a mixed-use development to replace the shopping center, which had been constructed in 1959.

Applicants could submit proposed comprehensive plan amendments to the Planning Commission office from September to December 2019 as part of the land use planning process. There were 26 nominations submitted, and 22 were accepted to undergo review in the Braddock, Lee, Mason, Mount Vernon and Springfield Supervisor Districts.

The nomination request for the Belle View Shopping Center calls for replacing the 182,000-square-foot retail strip with a mixed-use space including grocery store, retail, multifamily residential and townhouses. There are three design options included with the nomination (see pages 356-388 of the nomination book).

A statement of justification from the shopping center owner cites challenges such as the October 2019 fire that caused millions in damages and changing retail trends:

By putting forward this nomination request, the Owner of the Property seeks to transform its Property to such a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood for its foreseeable future. Simply put, the goal is to ensure the Shopping Center remains the "living room" for the community for decades to come.

Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Strock wrote to followers on Facebook that the review process is in the early stages. Supervisors will appoint community task forces in their respective districts. Applicants will present their nominations to the task force, which will make a recommendation to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors. The task forces will decide if the nominations should be added to the consideration list for comprehensive plan amendments.

The task force review phase is expected to happen from March to April 2020. The Planning Commission would hold a public hearing in June on the task forces' recommendations and decide which nominations will be added to the Comprehensive Plan Amendment Work Program. The Board of Supervisors would consider the revised Comprehensive Plan Amendment Work Program in July. Nominations on the standard track for approval could go to the Planning Commission for hearings as early as May 2021 and Board of Supervisors in June 2021.